Distance: 10.02 km
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 18-22ºC
Wind: light breeze
Calories burned: 700
Average pace: 5:21/km
Total distance to date: 847 km
Tonight’s run was frustrating for several reasons.
On the plus side, there were two ball games in progress and I did not get bonked by a baseball at any point. Yay! I also finished with a pace of 5:21/km, a time that a few weeks ago I would have considered awesome and now think of as merely good (it’s still my fourth fastest for a 10K and only four seconds off my previous — and fastest — run).
On the not-as-positive side I developed some cramping early on that really threw off my pace. It lasted for a few km and if you look at the chart below it’s remarkably clear where they hit. For the first 2 km my pace was actually better than my previous run but then I drop by a huge six seconds going into the third km. I drop another four seconds after that and it’s only after the cramps ease off midway through that I find my natural rhythm and finish stronger than I would have otherwise. I knew I’d regret eating those chicken samosas.
This was one of my clockwise runs but I didn’t actually run clockwise the entire way due to the heavy traffic on the trail tonight. There were people walking, people walking with dogs (on and off leash), people jogging, people jogging with dogs (on and off leash), a mother and her wee son, the latter of which was wobbly riding a similarly wee bike, plus a few bonus dogs just generally running about all dog-like.
None of this would normally be a problem, but in running clockwise I was heading toward the majority of them and nearly every one seemed baffled as to how to share the path with someone moving in the opposite direction. They would drift across the path, making it hard to pass. They would move directly into my way, they would stop for no apparent reason, they would toss balls across the path so their dogs could become tripping hazards. Shortly after the 5K mark and with the cramps cleared up, I pivoted around and changed direction, doing the second half counter-clockwise. It was a lot more relaxing. By coincidence, or perhaps feeling that they had won, most of the people disappeared at the same time.
My knee was a bit cranky but is fine now and my legs likewise felt a bit tired but seem to be recovering normally afterward.
Chart (blue indicates the run was done clockwise):
| km | Jul 4 | Jul 1 | Jun 28 | Jun 26 | Jun 23 | Jun 21 | Jun 18 | Jun 16 | Jun 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 4:58 | 5:04 | 4:58 | 4:59 | 4:59 | 5:00 | 4:53 | 5:05 | 5:02 |
| 2 km | 5:02 | 5:06 | 5:03 | 5:05 | 5:05 | 5:04 | 5:01 | 5:09 | 5:07 |
| 3 km | 5:08 | 5:07 | 5:05 | 5:10 | 5:09 | 5:07 | 5:04 | 5:13 | 5:10 |
| 4 km | 5:12 | 5:09 | 5:08 | 5:13 | 5:12 | 5:11 | 5:09 | 5:16 | 5:14 |
| 5 km | 5:14 | 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:15 | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:13 | 5:19 | 5:18 |
| 6 km | 5:15 | 5:12 | 5:13 | 5:19 | — | 5:15 | 5:15 | — | 5:20 |
| 7 km | 5:17 | 5:14 | 5:15 | 5:21 | — | 5:17 | 5:18 | — | 5:21 |
| 8 km | 5:19 | 5:16 | 5:16 | 5:23 | — | 5:19 | 5:21 | — | 5:22 |
| 9 km | 5:21 | 5:17 | 5:18 | 5:25 | — | 5:20 | 5:23 | — | 5:24 |
| 10 km | 5:21 | 5:17 | 5:19 | 5:27 | — | 5:21 | 5:24 | — | 5:25 |
| 11 km | — | — | 5:19 |
